Friday, May 11, 2012

Avengers Assemble #3

Have I mentioned that I loved the Avengers movie?

Marvel has created Avengers Assemble to tie in to the film (at least in terms of its lineup and its proximity to SHIELD), while keeping the story firmly set in the "real" Marvel Universe. And the issue does a solid job of evoking the feel and pace of the movie.

Longtime readers might be understandably skeptical when learning that the villains opposing the team are the Zodiac, a group of bad guys that have never posed that much of a threat in the past.

But all that has changed, as each member of the team (representing a different sign of the Zodiac, natch) is powerful enough to challenge Thor and the Hulk.

That makes for an intense, all-action issue as the heroes try to cope with being outgunned, and they try to discover the secret behind the new powers of the Zodiac.

Like the movie, the comic is fast-paced, loaded with funny dialogue, and breezes along to its shocking last page (which got an "It's about time" out of me).

I've long been a fan of Mark Bagley's art (here inked by Danny Miki, with Paul Mounts providing the color art), and he continues to do amazing work here, balancing a small army of characters, keeping the action tense but clear and easy to follow, creating great heroes and powerful, kinetic pages of art.

Of all the Avengers comics out there, this is the one most accessible for new readers or fans of the film. Good thinking, Marvel!

Grade: A

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